Evening minds online: The role of chronotype in digital addiction among patients with bipolar disorder

Aug 13, 2025Chronobiology international

Evening preference linked to digital addiction in people with bipolar disorder

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Abstract

The bipolar disorder group exhibited significantly higher levels of nomophobia compared to healthy controls (p = 0.036).

Individuals with an evening chronotype in the bipolar disorder group had higher internet addiction and nomophobia scores than those with a non-evening chronotype (p = 0.008 and p = 0.020, respectively).
In the bipolar disorder group, chronotype scores were negatively correlated with internet addiction levels (p = 0.027).
All addiction-related measures in healthy controls were negatively correlated with chronotype scores.
The relationship between evening chronotype and internet addiction remained significant after controlling for digital use (p = 0.01).

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Chronotype has been increasingly linked to problematic digital technology use. However, its role among individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD) is not well studied. This study aimed to examine the association between chronotype and internet, social media, and smartphone addiction in BD patients. The study included 75 BD patients and 50 matched healthy controls (HC). Chronotype was measured using the Morningness - Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ). Digital addiction was evaluated via the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale (BSMAS), and Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMPQ).The BD group showed significantly higher nomophobia levels compared to the HC group ( = 0.036). Within the BD group, individuals with an evening chronotype had higher IAT and NMPQ scores than their non-evening counterparts ( = 0.008 and = 0.020), although the difference in DIU was not significant ( = 0.302). In the MEQ scores were negatively correlated with IAT in the BD group ( = -0.255, = 0.027), and with all addiction-related measures in the HC group. Covariance analysis indicated that the associations between eveningness and both IAT and NMPQ scores remained significant after controlling for DIU ( = 0.01 and = 0.04) in BD group. Evening chronotype is associated with higher levels of internet addiction and nomophobia, particularly among individuals with BD. Chronotype should be considered a relevant factor in understanding digital addiction patterns in BD patients. p p p p r p p p

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Evening minds online: The role of chronotype in digital addiction among patients with bipolar disorder

Abstract

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